Covering for buildings



P. E. KNUDSEN ET AL COVERING .FOR BUILDINGS Feb. 27, 1940.

Filed Aug. 17, 193a 5 m 5% 05 5 my N r M a Patented Feb. 27, 1940 um'rspsra'rss COVERING FOR BUILDINGS Percy E. Knudsen, Pittsburgh, and Melvin E. Toussaint, Beaver, Pa., assignors to Pitts burgh Plate Glass Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 17, 1938, Serial No. 225,360

10 Claims. (01. 10810) The present invention relates to sheathin s or coverings for buildings and it has particular relation to sheathings or coverings composed of overlapping shingle-like plates.

One object of the invention is to provide a structure of the foregoing type in which thetendency of water to creep by capillary attraction back under the lower edges of the plates is reduced or obviated.

A second object of the invention is to reduce or prevent the tendency of insect'bodies and dirt to accumulate under the edges of transparent shingles of glass.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification and the appended claims.

In a roof or external wall of a building composed of overlapping shingle-like plates, there is a tendency of water tovcreep by capillary attraction back under the edges of the plates. In some cases the tendency may become so pronounced as to result in the water actually passing over the upper edge portions of the overlapping units, thus producing leaks. Detritus of various kinds is also carried in and in event that the roof or wall is composed of overlapped plates of. glass, the accumulation produces an unsightly appearance. This appearance may be accentuated by the bodies of insects which have, crawled back under the edges of the shingles and died, or which have been swept back underthe shingles orplates by the water carried in by capillary attraction.

- The present invention is based upon the discovery that if the lower edges of the plates or shingles are spaced abovethe upper portions of the shingles which they overlap to a sufiicient degree, the tendency of water to flow by capillarity between the overlappingq'portion is overcome.

Likewise, the tendency of dirt and foreign matter to accumulate is obviated or greatly reduced.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may now be had to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which Figure 1 is afragmentary plan view of a typical roof to which the principles of the present invention may be applied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of a'portion of a roof showing the use of one convenient form of spacer unit for separating the overlapping portions of the shingle plates.

Figures 3,4 and 5 are detail views illustrating several of the forms of spacing device which may be employed in practicing the invention.

As shown in Figure 1, a roof constructed in accordance with the invention may compris'e 'plates mam opp I 9 of any convenient dimensions, which preferably are of glass tempered by suddenly chilling plates of glass heated to a teinperature' of about1100: or 1200 d'egF. by sudden application'of a blast of air or by dipping them into a cooling bath.

The technique involved in the tempering of plates of glass is wellunderstood by those skilled in the art and need not be further described.

The units 9 preferably are approximately of amond shape, though preferably the corners are clipped, as indicated at H). They may comprise squares arranged in courses with one diagonal ex in each course overlap the upper edgesof the units in the second course below. The horizon tally opposed'corners of each unit are sandwiched between thecorners of the units in the adjacent course.

The plates or shingles are shown as resting di-' rectly upon the rafters. However,'they may also be supported upon transverse purlins if so desired. In order to space the overlapped portions of the shingles or plates, spacers or shims l4 of metal, rubber, or the like, such as arev disclosed in Figure 2,.may be employed. The number and arrangement of these devices is susceptible of variation. As shown in Fig. 1, two for each of the upper edges of each. plate is satisfactory. One is disposed upon each'side adjacent to the;

upper corner of each plate. A second one is disposed slightlyabove each intermediate or trans verse corner. It will be observedfrom the drawengage and support the lower portions of the to. It will also be observed that the lower edges of the superposed shingles project downwardly a substantial distance belowthe shims in such manner that the latter are completely overhung and covered.

These spacers may be approximately of U- shape in cross sectional outline and both branches may be approximately of equal length, or as shown in the drawing one branch, e. g., the upper branch l5, may be longer than the other branch.

The thickness of the spacers may vary to a'conto 3% of an inch is considered to be optimum. The

lesser value is suflicient to obviate capillary enplates in the course immediately adjacent theresiderable degree, but a range of approximately 1 trance of water, but there is still some tendency to entrap insect bodies. With a spacing of 3% of an inch the latter difiiculty is also overcome, and the general tendency of dirt to accumulate between the units is greatly reduced. If the units are disposed at any reasonable angle or pitch, e. g. 20 or 30 degrees, more or less, there is no tendency of the water to blow back under the units.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4 the spacing unit or shim I! is formed of spring material, such as iron, steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, or the like, of relatively thin section.

In order to provide for adequate spacing of the overlapping plates, the upper branch I8 of the spacing device is curved or corrugated. The number of sinuations employed does not constitute an important feature, but in the form of the invention illustrated a single reflex bend IQ of S shape is suflicient.

The inherent resiliency or springiness of the metal in clips of this form is sufiicient to accommodate for irregularities in the thickness of the glass. Likewise the springiness permits the shingle units disposed thereupon to yield slightly to impacts or to other stresses, and the possibility of breakage of the units is thus substantially reduced.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figure 5 a spacer or shim 20 comprising a single plate or bar of suitable material is provided. This shim may comprise wood, leather, rubber, artificial resins such as vinyl acetal resins, phenolic resin or the like. Preferably the material possesses a certain degree of resiliency or springiness. The spacers may be secured in position by frictional contact or if preferred may be cemented or otherwise'bonded to the surface of either the upper or lower units, or they may be bonded to both of them. The units may be applied to the glass plates at the time the plates are laid upon the roof, or they may be secured by cements or if the units are of thermoplastic material, e. g. vinyl acetal, by application of heat and pressure. These operations may be performed in the factory in which the shingles are made. The strips or bars of spacing material 20 may'merely extend partially or entirely across the upper corner of shingle units, or if preferred they may extend entirely along the upper edges, in order to provide a seal against the passage of air into the interior of the structure to which the units are applied.

The spacers are particularly applicable to shingles of glass and notably of tempered glass, where entrance of dirt between overlapped portions produces an unsightly appearance, but under some circumstances their application to shingles or plates of annealed glass, slate, tile or other forms of roofing material may be desired. Likewise they are particularly applicable to roofs composed of diagonally disposed units, but may also be employed with units the transverse edges of which parallel the direction of the courses.

The forms of the invention herein illustrated are to be considered merely as illustrative of the invention, and numerous modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention orthe scope of the appended claims What we claim is:

1. A sheathing construction comprising upper and lower courses of shingle-like plates of glass capable of transmitting light, said courses being contiguous, the lower portions of the plates in the upper course overlapping the upper portions of the plates in the lower course, the plates in said upper course being staggered with respect to those in the lower course, to cover the upper portions of the spaces between the plates in the lower course, shims inserted between the plates in the two courses, and preventing contact of the plates in one course with those in the other, said shims being supported by the upper edge portions of the plates in th lower course and supporting and being completely overhung by the lower edge portions of the plates in the upper course, the shims being of a thickness suflicient to obviate the tendency of water to fiow back between the plates by capillary attraction.

2. A roof structure as defined in claim 1 in which the plates are of approximately diamond shape and are so laid that one diagonal of each course approximately coincides in direction with the course in which the unit is disposed.

3. A roof structure as defined in claim 1 in which the platesare of glass.

4. A roof structure as defined in claiml in having the upper branch corrugated and consists.

of springy metal.

8. A roof as defined in claim 1 in which the shims are of plates disposed between the overlapped portions of the edge of eachunit and consist of a yieldable material.

9. A construction as defined in claim 1 in which;

the shims are about inch thick.

10. A construction as defined in claim 1 in which the plates are of glass and the shims are about of an inch thick.

PERCY E. KNUDSEN. MELVIN E. TOUSSAINT. 

